Download Mediterranean Society: The Roman Phase

The Cosmopolitan
Mediterranean:
Cultural and Religious
Traditions
Roads and communication networks
encouraged the spread of religious
ideas beyond their original foundations
throughout the empire
The Cosmopolitan Mediterranean
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Greek philosophy and religions of salvation
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Like most Neolithic peoples, the earliest Romans were
polytheistic, worshipping gods associated with forces in
nature and fertility.
Through their interaction with the Etruscans and later the
Greeks, the Romans added other gods to their pantheon (all
the gods of a religion) and other practices to their traditional
rites.
Often adopted the religious and cultural traditions of
conquered peoples
The Cosmopolitan Mediterranean
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Greek influence--Stoicism (sought to identify a set of
universal moral standards based on nature and reason)
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Appealed to Roman intellectuals
Cicero (106-43 B.C.E.) persuasive orator and writer on Stoicism
(pursuit of justice was the individual’s highest public duty)
Stoicism became the most prominent moral philosophy in Rome
The Cosmopolitan Mediterranean
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Religions of salvation gave sense of purpose and promised
afterlife
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Roman roads served as highways for religious spread
Mithraism was popular with Roman soldiers--men only
(associated with strength, courage and discipline)
Cult of Isis (Egypt) very popular – temples throughout the
empire; believed she would nurture her worshippers and help
them cope with stress
Christianity and Judaism
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Initially, both Judaism and Christianity were tolerated by
the Romans.
The Romans allowed the conquered territories to practice
their own faiths as long as doing so didn't interfere with
the functioning of the empire.
Christianity and Judaism
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Judaism
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Throughout the days of the Roman Republic and during the early days
of the Roman Empire, paganism (polytheism) was the state religion.
Roman citizens were required to make sacrifices to traditional Roman
gods.
Under various imperial regimes, the Jews struggled whenever an
imperial power sought to promote some state cult.
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As strict monotheists, the Jews refused to participate in state-sanctioned
activities, no matter how minor or shallow the ceremony.
They considered such behavior to be blasphemy, and at times refused to pay
taxes or obey any Roman laws that conflicted with their own.
Eventually, Jewish resistance to Roman control led to the suppression of
Judaism, resulting in the exile of Jews from their homeland in 70 CE under
the Roman Emperor Titus.
Christianity and Judaism
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The rise of Christianity
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While some Jews openly fought the Romans, others
sought salvation through isolation or through a Goddelivered spiritual leader
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Christianity emerged in this context as some Jews sought to form a
community around Jesus of Nazareth, a charismatic leader who
taught peace, devotion to God, and love for fellow human beings.
The Romans, concerned about another Jewish uprising and fearful
about Jesus’ proclamation that the “kingdom of God is at hand,”
arrested and executed him in the early 30s CE.
Christianity and Judaism
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Jesus’ crucifixion did not quell the crowds nor end the movement.
After his death, his closest followers proclaimed that he had risen
from the grave, that he was the “Son of God,” and that belief in him
offered eternal rewards.
These promises, plus the compilation of his teachings (the New
Testament), began to spread Jesus’ appeal far beyond the borders
of Palestine.
Christianity and Judaism
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The principal figure in the expansion of Christianity beyond Judaism
was Paul of Tarsus.
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Taught a Christianity that attracted urban masses much like the religions of
salvation
Called for individuals to observe high moral standards and to place their faith
ahead of personal and family interests.
However, for two centuries after the crucifixion of Jesus, there was
no central authority for Christianity
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Individual communities selected their own supervisors (bishops), who oversaw
priests and governed their jurisdiction according to Christian doctrine
As a result, Christian views and practiced varied considerably in the early days
Christianity and Judaism
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Like the Jews, the early Christians refused to honor the Roman state
cults or revere the emperor as a god.
As a result, Roman imperial authorities launched sporadic
campaigns of persecution designed to eliminate Christianity as a
threat to the empire (even killing them in open spectacles at the
Coliseum).
These acts of violence failed to stop the spread of Christianity.
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The growth of Christianity reflects it’s appeal particularly to the lower classes,
urban populations, and women.
It endowed them with a sense of spiritual freedom more meaningful than wealth,
power, and social prominence.
It taught the spiritual equality of the sexes
By the third century CE, it had become the most dynamic and influential religious
faith in the Mediterranean basin.